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The bell of the newly opened cafe chimed brightly as Emu dragged Nene inside, determined to conquer the limited-edition strawberry parfait. However, almost every table in the store was full. Luckily, Emu's eyes caught sight of An and Kohane, who were resting at a corner table.
"Ah! Kohane-chan! An-chan! ✨"
Not waiting for permission, Emu practically dove toward their table, pulling Nene along.
"Can we sit with you?! ✨"
"Oh, Emu-chan, Kusanagi-san! You startled me."
Kohane looked up with a wide smile, waving them over.
"Ah, Kusanagi-san, Otori-san, have a seat! We were just looking for some company."
An added, helping to shift the glasses on the table to make room.
"E-Excuse us, Shiraishi-san... Azusawa-san."
Nene muttered softly as she slowly sat down next to Kohane, who gave her a heartwarming smile.
"Hello, Emu-chan, Kusanagi-san... Did you come to have some sweets? We just finished our vocal practice."
Kohane greeted gently, passing the menu to her new friends.
"Yup! We practiced a bit hard today, but it was really fun. What about you guys? No stage practice today?"
An spoke up.
"We have the afternoon off! So I decided to bring our Wonder-star Nene to recharge with some sweets! ⭐"
Emu answered brightly.
Nene glanced around the table for a moment before asking.
"By the way, Shiraishi-san... Is it just the two of you today? What about Shinonome-kun and Aoyagi-kun?"
As soon as Nene finished her question, the previously bright atmosphere halted slightly. An let out a long sigh, aggressively stabbing her straw into her orange juice with a frustrated look.
"Hmph... don't even mention them."
An grumbled, her face instantly forming a pout.
"They're checking out some new speaker equipment right now. They'll probably catch up later, but I kinda wanted to walk separately for a bit... Akito was getting on my nerves again today! He kept teasing me about missing a dance step. It's so annoying!"
Despite her complaining, she absentmindedly swirled the glass of orange juice in her hand.
"But during the break, he just casually tossed me a bottle of mineral water... Seriously, what is his deal? He makes it impossible to keep up with his moods!"
An's complaints seemed to flip a switch. Emu nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Tsukasa-kun is exactly the same! One minute he's yelling so loud the whole place can hear... but when he gets on stage and makes that serious face... It feels like, Ho-eh? and my heart just goes ba-thump, ba-thump!"
"What about Toya-kun and Akito-kun, Kohane-chan? When Toya-kun looks serious, or when Akito-kun sings so aggressively... Do you ever get that ba-thump feeling too, Kohane-chan!? ✨"
Emu turned to seek an ally, firing a very direct question.
Being asked about both of her male teammates so suddenly, Kohane gave a slight start. Certain images flashed into her mind, and her sweet face began to flush with heat.
"E-Eh? A-Aoyagi-kun, you mean...? W-Well..."
Kohane gripped her teacup tightly, her cheeks tinted with a rosy blush. Unconsciously, she singled out only one name in her response.
"Aoyagi-kun also... tends to do things that surprise me when I least expect it..."
Nene, who had been quietly sipping her melon soda this whole time, swept her gaze over her three friends—all of whom were now blushing in different directions. She let out a long sigh before pulling a notebook out and placing it on the table.
Thud!
Nene lightly tapped her glass with a metal spoon.
Clink...
"Okay, that's enough."
Nene cut in, looking at the three of them who were still flushed.
"Since everyone seems to be facing the same issue, let's summarize this properly."
She flipped open a page in her notebook.
"The Unscheduled Secret Meeting of the Girls' Club, Agenda 1: Analyzing the Heart-Fluttering Behaviors of the Boys."
"WONDERHOYYYYY!! ✨"
Emu threw both arms into the air with the widest smile possible.
"Shhhh! Otori-san, keep your voice down!"
An's eyes widened as she lunged across the table to slap her hand over the pink-haired girl's mouth.
After subduing the chaos, An whipped her head back to look at the meeting's chairperson.
"W-Wait a minute, Kusanagi-san! How did it suddenly turn into this topic!?"
Nene pushed up imaginary glasses, her eyes gleaming with an analyst's seriousness. Nene opened her notebook fully.
"Based on the data... whenever you talk about your male teammates, your voice volumes drop by 30%, and you avoid eye contact. According to analytical principles, we can conclude that heart-fluttering incidents have definitely occurred."
"Huh!? I-I wasn't fluttering or whatever! T-That carrot-top was just acting a little weird, that's all!"
An defensively crossed her arms, though the temperature of her cheeks completely contradicted her words.
Nene narrowed her eyes, her pen scribbling away.
"Hmm... Which means an incident really did occur."
An choked on her words, completely silenced and unable to argue.
Amidst An's silence, Kohane, who had been squeezing her teacup, took a deep breath.
"I-If I have to share... Yesterday during practice... Aoyagi-kun, he..."
Kohane looked down slightly, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
She paused for a moment before holding her breath and continuing in a faint whisper.
"He... patted my head... and he left his hand there for a long time."
"Oooohhh~~~ ✨"
Emu and Nene accidentally chorused together.
Kohane turned bright red, hurriedly continuing in a feather-light voice.
"W-When he leaned down to meet my eyes... and said in that deep voice, 'You did really well'... I just felt so warm all over... Or am I just overthinking things?"
Kohane raised her teacup to hide her lips, trying to conceal her shyness.
Bam!
An lightly slapped the table, causing the ice in her orange juice to clink. She snapped her head toward her partner with a mix of shock and possessiveness.
"W-Wait a minute, Kohane! Why did you just spill that so easily?! And... Toya did that to you!? If it's just patting your head and praising you, I do that all the time! I hug you and pet you, I pamper you way more than Toya ever does! Partner privileges, you know!"
Nene sighed deeply, tapping her pen against the paper.
Tap, tap.
"It's useless, Shiraishi-san... According to shoujo manga theory, skinship damage from a female friend can't compete with a boy's 'warm palm' and 'deep voice'... Taking a hit like that is a guaranteed Critical Hit, leaving you at 1 HP."
"Ho-eh!! A deep voice that makes your heart go ba-thump! Boommm! Echoing right in your ears, right, Kohane-chan!? ✨"
Emu's eyes sparkled as she clutched her heart and mimicked an explosion in mid-air.
Nene pushed her notebook forward, ruthlessly shutting down An's bragging, before pointing her pen at the next target.
"And what about Shiraishi-san?"
"W-Why me!?"
An jumped.
"Because An-chan's face is totally super red too! ✨"
Emu lunged in for backup, pointing directly at the target.
Nene clicked her pen.
Click. Checkmate.
"Let's move on to the next subject... Shinonome-kun. Category: The foul-mouthed but reliable type."
"Who's reliable?! He's just a stubborn, foul-mouthed dog! He's always getting on my nerves! Just yesterday, he was laughing at me for tripping over my own feet... But when that guy grabs the mic and gets serious... the look in his eyes is just... incredibly cool..."
An defensively crossed her arms like someone cornered.
An unconsciously let a small smile slip before quickly grabbing her orange juice, drinking it so fast she choked.
"C-Cough! I mean, cool as a teammate!"
Kohane raised her teacup to hide a soft smile.
"But Shinonome-kun really does look very dependable when he performs."
"Hey! Kohane! Why are you agreeing with her?!"
An almost choked on her orange juice again.
Nene nodded, scribbling furiously in her notebook.
"Noted: Subject number one... Foul-mouthed, but confirmed to be cool."
"Hey! Kusanagi-san! Erase that right now!"
An turned beet red and snapped.
To deflect the attention from being ganged up on, An quickly pointed her finger back at the chairperson.
"What about Kamishiro-senpai then?!"
Nene flinched slightly, her pen stopping in its tracks.
"Hm? W-Why bring him up all of a sudden..."
"Don't change the subject! Senpai stares at you all the time! Always with that weird smile, constantly startling you. Doesn't your heart flutter at all when Kamishiro-senpai stares at you like that!?"
An cut in immediately, grinning like she held the winning card.
"I-I don't have any special data on that! H-He's just a childhood friend who likes to act weird, that's all! There's nothing to flutter about!"
The pen in Nene's hand started scribbling erratic lines.
Amidst Nene's flimsy excuses, Kohane tilted her head slightly as if remembering something.
"Ah... speaking of which."
Kohane's clear voice made everyone turn to look at her at once.
"When I went to watch a Wonderlands x Showtime performance, I noticed something..."
Nene began to have a bad feeling, sweating slightly.
"A-Azusawa-san?"
Kohane smiled softly and continued with an innocent, harmless expression.
"Kamishiro-san really likes looking at Kusanagi-san very often."
Dead silence fell over the table.
"Are, re, ree~? Rui-kun stares at Nene-chan?! ✨"
Emu's eyes widened to the size of goose eggs before she leaned in close.
"Oh my... what should we call this~"
An smirked slyly, leaning closer to the meeting's chairperson who was now completely frozen.
"I-It's not like that!"
Nene blushed fiercely, the red spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
She hurriedly ducked her head, pretending to take notes to avoid their probing eyes.
"He... he was just checking the timing of the performance, that's all!"
An refused to let her prey go, leaning in just a bit closer.
"But just now... your hand was shaking."
"...S.s.stop it, Shiraishi-san!"
Nene shrieked, slamming her notebook shut with a loud smack to abruptly end the interrogation.
"As for Tsukasa-kun! He's the overflowing-energy-hero type! ⭐ When he's on stage, his aura flashes so bright, it's galaxy-piercingly handsome! ...But you know, if he's trying that hard for everyone's smiles... we have to make sure he smiles too, right?"
Emu interjected to save the situation.
That single serious sentence from Emu brought the conversation to a momentary standstill.
"Yeah... hearing that makes me think of Aoyagi-kun."
Kohane blinked slowly as if recalling someone, before offering a small smile.
She looked down at her teacup briefly before continuing bashfully.
"Even though he doesn't talk much, when I see him practicing quietly or supporting us from behind the scenes... his gentleness comes across so clearly."
"Are~ Kohane-chan, you really observe Toya-kun so closely~ ✨"
Emu tilted her head with a teasing smile.
"E-Eh—it's not like that! It's just... we're on the same team, so I just see it often, that's all!"
Kohane blinked rapidly as if just realizing what she'd said, then turned bright red and waved her hands frantically.
She averted her eyes, looking down at her teacup again before murmuring softly.
"...But, he really does try hard."
"When I'm near him... it makes me want to try harder too."
Kohane smiled faintly, a rosy tint still on her cheeks.
An paused for a moment before mumbling out loud.
"...It's true."
She swirled the straw in her orange juice absentmindedly.
"Both Toya... and that guy too, I guess."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"That guy?"
Nene repeated.
"Shinonome-kun?"
Kohane nodded slightly.
"W-Wait! I wasn't praising him! I-I just meant he's also a practice-freak, that's all!"
An's eyes widened, flinching instantly.
"You're so stubborn, An-chan~ ✨"
Emu giggled.
An immediately looked away, her bright red cheeks contrasting sharply with her dark blue hair.
The minor chaos hadn't settled for long before Emu looked around the table, as if thinking of something fun. She shot up from her seat, her eyes sparkling brightly.
"Hey, hey! Then... what if all eight of us actually went to an amusement park together!? ✨"
Emu's question acted like a ticking time bomb.
"W-Wait a sec! All of us going together suddenly... that's totally a group date!"
An's eyes went wide, waving her hands in denial so frantically her elbow almost knocked over her orange juice.
"T-Theoretically speaking, gathering eight uncontrollable variables in one place... the chaos levels would break through the roof!"
Nene babbled rapidly, trying to pull out academic excuses to halt her own rising panic.
"E-Eh? E-Everyone? T-That's..."
Kohane stammered in a fluster, squeezing her teacup tightly with both hands.
The overlapping voices of the three girls turned into an incomprehensible commotion. The table rattled, and the customers nearby started to turn their heads.
But despite desperately trying to argue... their brains entirely refused to listen to their commands. Short but vivid simulated scenarios began to form in the minds of all four girls without any prior arrangement.
(An's Imagination):
Amidst a pushing crowd, with the loud announcements of rides echoing around them, Akito grabs her wrist and pulls her close.
"Don't space out while walking, idiot. You'll get lost."
'Who're you calling an idiot!' Her mental retort was loud, but her feet obediently followed the pull... and his hand still didn't let go.
(Kohane's Imagination):
The lights from the carousel reflect a soft golden hue around them. Aoyagi-kun leans down to meet her eyes.
"Which ride do you want to go on next, Azusawa?"
His deep voice almost drowns out the background music. Kohane accidentally stares into those kind eyes, forgetting her answer for a moment, before nodding softly in sheer embarrassment.
(Nene's Imagination):
Rui appears from behind her without any prior warning. He leans in way too close.
"Your face is quite red, Nene. What are you thinking about?"
The sly whisper echoes right by her ear. Nene freezes entirely, the insults she had prepared vanishing from her mind, leaving only the sound of her own heartbeat pounding so loud it might burst from her chest.
(Emu's Imagination):
Surrounded by the night-time illuminations of the theme park, Tsukasa turns around with a dazzling, wide smile.
"Let's go, Emu! 🌟"
He reaches his hand out to her. Emu grabs it instantly. The warmth passing through makes her heart swell up like a balloon.
...
...
Cutting back to the cafe table.
Dead silence.
No one dared to make eye contact. The hands holding their cups trembled slightly. The faces of all four girls turned a fiercely competitive shade of red almost simultaneously.
Nene tried to gather her scattered senses.
"W-What is this reaction...?!"
"Is the AC in this shop broken?! It's so hot, dammit!"
An fanned her face frantically, still refusing to look up.
Kohane pressed both hands against her scorching cheeks, muttering faintly.
"...I really wasn't overthinking things..."
Amidst the embarrassment shooting off the charts, Emu, who had been sitting rigidly, suddenly sprang to her feet. The chair scraped against the floor with a loud screech. The customers nearby all turned to look.
"A-An amusement park with Tsukasa-kun would definitely be so much fun! ⭐"
Emu blinked repeatedly, as if just realizing what she had blurted out.
An froze. Nene stiffened. And Kohane's mouth fell open slightly.
...
...
Silence.
An, Kohane, and Nene, who were already blushing hard from shyness, now turned as red as ripe tomatoes out of sheer mortification instead.
"O-Otori-san! Keep your voice down! Everyone is looking!"
An panicked, diving to grab Emu's shoulders and force her back down.
"E-Emu-chan! Let's sit down first!"
Kohane tugged at her friend's sleeve repeatedly.
As for Nene, she practically covered her entire face with her notebook, hissing through her teeth.
"Y-You idiot! I told you this was a secret meeting... I'm going to lose my mind..."
The three of them clumsily wrangled Emu until she was plopped back into her chair, all under the bewildered stares of everyone in the cafe.
A waitress walked over and stopped at their table, wearing a customer-service smile that looked so strained it was twitching.
"Dear customers... could we kindly ask you to lower your volume a little?"
"W-We're so sorryyy..."
The four girls chorused apologetically, bowing their heads repeatedly until they were practically sinking under the table. A couple of nearby tables let out soft, endearing chuckles.
Once the waitress walked away and the other customers went back to their own business, the level-ten chaos slowly subsided, leaving behind only a warm, fluffy atmosphere in that little corner of the cafe.
No one argued about the severity of the damage anymore.
An rested her chin on her hand, her index finger brushing against her still-warm cheek as she harbored a small smile.
Kohane giggled softly to herself while using her straw to poke at the half-melted ice.
Nene let out a long breath before gently folding shut her notebook, which was now filled with erratic scribbles.
And Emu... despite just being scolded, sat swinging her legs, humming a tune in the best mood in the world, muttering to herself.
"I'd better prepare a list of rides to wait for~ ✨"
Perhaps... today's meeting didn't yield a written conclusion on whose heart fluttered the hardest.
But one thing they all realized without having to write it down was... at the very least, they weren't alone in dealing with these turbulent feelings.
Nene cleared her throat softly, readjusting her posture back to normal (even though the tips of her ears were still bright red). She raised her hand to push up her non-existent glasses.
"Anyway... Let's conclude the First Agenda of the Unscheduled Secret Meeting of the Girls' Club here for now."
[—— Epilogue ——]
Cutting to the other side of the city... on the streets of Vivid Street.
Akito, who was walking with a can of dark roast coffee in hand, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He rubbed his upper arm lightly, furrowing his brows in a deep frown.
"What's wrong, Akito? Is the wind cold?"
Toya, walking beside him, turned to ask out of concern.
"No... I just got goosebumps out of nowhere. A familiar feeling, like when that idiot An is gossiping about me... Or she's definitely coming up with some headache-inducing trouble for me."
Akito cursed under his breath.
"Aren't you overthinking it? Azusawa and the others just went to rest at a cafe while waiting for us to finish looking at the equipment today, right? There probably isn't any headache-inducing trouble going on."
Toya blinked before giving a faint smile.
"I hope so..."
Akito let out a long sigh, but the warning sirens in his head refused to turn off so easily.
At the same time, over at the Wonder Stage...
"Hahaha! I am Pegasus Tenma, the world-class star!! ✨"
Tsukasa struck a magnificent pose, pointing his finger at the sky, before suddenly freezing. He darted his eyes left and right as if paranoid of some impending danger.
"Hm? Did you forget your next line, Tsukasa-kun? Or did that pose just now make your muscles cramp?"
Rui asked with a knowing smile.
"Not at all! But suddenly, my star instincts sensed a bizarre energy! This weird, tingling sensation... like Emu is screaming 'Wonderhoy' at the top of her lungs somewhere out there... And it feels like a Wonderhoy with highly destructive capabilities, too! 🌟"
Tsukasa crossed his arms.
Rui chuckled softly in his throat. "Fufu..." His purple eyes sparkled with amusement.
"If it's Emu-kun's energy, no matter how far away she is, it would easily reach us without a doubt."
"Don't say creepy things like that! Now I'm starting to get a really bad feeling!"
A chilly breeze gently blew across the Wonder Stage...
Meanwhile, back at the cafe with the four girls, no one spoke of what had just happened for the rest of the afternoon. The only exception was Emu, who was still quietly humming about the amusement park.
But all four of them knew full well deep down... this secret meeting definitely wouldn't be their last.